The Korea Exchange (KRX) is working on plans to promote its benchmark Kospi 200 index beyond the South Korean borders.
"We want to expand business overseas and so we are looking to add to index teams we have abroad to better market the Kospi200 and we are also looking to promote our index in structured products issued in the global market," head of market data in management strategy at the Korea Exchange, Joo Hwan Lee, told SRP in Seoul.
"KRX will have a new blueprint towards the end of the year," he said.
According to SRP data, the number of markets where Kospi 200-linked products can be purchased on the retail level - excluding South Korea - has been shrinking since 2008, from a high of 29 to 17 in 2009.
The figure rebounded in 2010 to 23 markets outside South Korea, but slid to 20 in 2011 and 15 so far this year.
So far this year 5,631 products linked to the Kospi 200 struck in the South Korean market compared to 69 in all other jurisdictions, including 22 products in the Swedish market.
Last year 9,052 products linked to the underlying struck in the South Korean market compared to 146 elsewhere, including 36 in the US market, 28 in Sweden and 25 in Canada.
There were 156 products referencing the Kospi 200 across all markets excluding South Korea in 2010, up from 81 in 2009 but below the highs of 379 issues in 2008 and 385 captured in 2007.